The Darkness From Before Darkness
by Dannrose
Summary: Pavel Chekov had experienced darkness long before Nero or Khan but few aboard the Enterprise know this. This darkness returns and with it comes a series of events that could prove fatal as Pavel's past collides with his present in a struggle for his future. Contains a bit of whump.
1. New Mission

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Greetings and salutations. Here is the first chapter of my new fic, I'm trying to make this story longer than my previous stories but we shall see how it goes. I don't know how often I'll update this but I'll do my best to not leave it too long and I may keep updating 'Dysfunctional Family' as well.**_

_**I do not own any aspect of Star Trek.**_

* * *

**New Mission**

The bridge of the _Enterprise _was peaceful as she orbited a small rocky planet.

The planet was incapable of supporting life, its atmosphere was virtually non-existent, but it was being scanned for anything of scientific interest that may be on the surface but any findings were small and not uncommon. All in all it was a relatively simple mission and just perfect for breaking in the newly rebuilt ship.

Jim Kirk sat in the Command Chair and waited for the scan results, he looked to Spock as the scan finished, "Anything to report Mr Spock?"

His First Officer answered promptly, "Negative Captain, all result are what we would expect from this type of planet. There are no unusual readings of any kind."

"Thank you Mr Spock."

Uhura spoke from the communications station, "Captain, we have a message coming in from Admiral Archer."

Jim nodded to her, "Thank you Lieutenant, put it on screen."

"Aye Captain."

The face of the Admiral appeared on the veiwscreen and Jim spoke respectfully, "Admiral, we've just finished our scan of Sigma III."

Archer gave a small smile, "I was hoping that you'd be done, I assume that there is nothing to report."

"No sir, the scans showed just what we were expecting."

"Very good I'll waste no time in giving you your next mission then."

Jim gave a small sigh, "I'm guessing that the preparations for the five-year mission are still ongoing then."

The admiral gave a slightly disapproving look but his eyes twinkled, "Now Kirk, I know you're impatient to start that mission but the _Enterprise _has only been fully operational for a week after she was rebuilt and there is still a lot of work to be done before we can start a mission of that length."

"Sorry sir."

Archer smiled, "No need to apologise Kirk, if I was in your place I would be just as eager to leave. Now onto your next mission." He looked briefly at a PADD he was holding, "We have picked up a strange transmission from Zeta IV. It's a small class M planet near the edge of Federation space that should be uninhabited; as such we want the _Enterprise _to investigate the signal and find out who or what is sending it out."

"Do we know what kind of signal it is?"

"Unfortunately we don't, it isn't a standard distress call and there is no clear message in it. It also doesn't match anything that we know the Klingons or Romulans use so be prepared for anything."

"Understood sir."

"And Kirk."

"Yes sir?"

"Be careful."

Archer cut the transmission and there was a brief silence before Jim addressed Pavel and Hikaru, "Mr Sulu, Mr Chekov, set a course for Zeta IV."

"Aye sir."

* * *

_**PS-So a short chapter to begin and I'll try and update soon.**_


	2. The Device

_**Author's note:**_

_**Hello everyone. Sorry for taking so long to update but the internet where I was wasn't working, then I was ill and then I couldn't upload the chapter but now I can *whoops with joy, jumps about and claps hands with glee*. So here is chapter two and it's a bit more of the build up before we get to the real meat of the story. Thank you for your support of this story and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**_

_**I own nothing.**_

* * *

**The Device**

The journey to Zeta IV was uneventful and the _Enterprise _was soon in orbit above the planet.

It was smaller than Earth but was still capable of holding a suitable oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere and plenty of water; there was plenty of local flora and fauna but no advanced life forms so if it wasn't for its distance from other planets in the Federation it would have been excellent for colonisation. As such it was a largely ignored planet with nothing much of interest that couldn't be found on more accessible worlds.

Jim looked to Spock, "Have we found where the signal is coming from on the planet?"

The commander answered, "We have Captain and we have also detected evidence of a crashed starship in the area of the signal's origin."

"So it's a distress beacon then?"

"Unfortunately I cannot be sure Captain, the signal is not like any distress message I've heard of but it is possible that the beacon is damaged causing the signal to be distorted."

Jim looked thoughtful, "It's also a bit far out from the usual cargo routes so if it is a downed craft what were they doing out here."

"I have had similar thoughts Captain but there is very little we can confirm from the ship."

"So we going to have to have a little jaunt planetside." Jim addressed Pavel, "Mr Chekov you will accompany me and the away team down to the planet and see if you and Mr Scott can work out what happened, be in the transporter room in ten minutes. Spock, you have the conn."

Jim was out the door before anyone could protest his decision.

* * *

The away team was soon ready and waiting in the transporter room, it consisted of Jim, Scotty and Pavel with Hendorff and the green-skinned Mr Kai as security. Jim gave a few last instructions, "We're going to be beamed a short distance from the signal's origin and our mission is to find out exactly what the signal is and who is sending it. We don't really know what we're going to find so I want everyone to remain alert at all times."

He gave a short nod to the team and a reassuring smile to Pavel before stepping up onto the transporter with the others.

"Energise."

* * *

They materialised in what looked like temperate woodland with oak-like trees scraping 70 feet, there were flowers reminiscent of Earth's daffodils and bluebells scattered around the mossy ground and large tiger-patterned butterflies fluttered between them. They were caught in the beauty of their surroundings for a minute before Jim got them back on task, "The signal is coming from about 200 meters directly ahead of us, remember to keep alert."

There were affirmatives from the away team and they set out; it wasn't long before they came to a crash site. A huge scar had been ripped in the forest and bits of twisted and weathered metal were scattered across it, parts were recognisable as sections of corridor or engine parts whereas others were melted and bent beyond recognition. It was Pavel who first commented on the wreckage, "Keptain, if the signal ees a distress beacon eet cannot be from zis ship."

Jim looked at the young Ensign, "Why not?"

"Because ze remains around us are overgrown and ze forest has begun to cover much of ze debris. I estimate zat ze wreckage has been here for a few years sor."

Scotty was quick to agree with the boy, "The laddie's right Captain, going by the weathering on the debris Ah would say that the wreckage as been here at least a decade, if not longer."

Jim looked closer and saw the signs that they were right before replying, "So why are we picking up a signal in a wrecked ship that has been crashed for years now?"

The question was left unanswered as they found the origin of the signal.

It was a greyish-black box about the size of a small crate with a communications array attached to the top of it; it bore no distinguishing markings and no obvious access panel. Scotty and Pavel quickly began to study the device to work out what it was for as Jim joined Hendorff and Kai in keeping a watch on the perimeter. There was little talking except for the quiet mutterings and discussions of the two working on the device until Scotty called to Jim, "Captain, could you come and give us a wee hand for a minute sir, there something ah want tae try."

Jim quickly went to give his CEO a hand and then there was a few more mutterings until it suddenly went quiet. Instantly noticing the sudden silence from the other three, Hendorff and Kai turned to look at the device only to be met with nothing.

Jim, Scotty, Pavel and the device had vanished without a trace.

* * *

_**PS-There we go and I know it's a bit slower to get going than some of my other stories but we'll get to the action soon**_


	3. Little Trace

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Greetings and salutations readers. Here is chapter three and I've taken some liberties with some things, especially with beaming so please let me know if anything in this chapter is radically wrong. Thank you for your continued support of this story and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**_

_**I don't own Star Trek.**_

* * *

**Little Trace**

"Commander, we've lost some of the signals of the away team!"

Spock was swiftly beside the crewman who had called out while remaining the picture of calm, "Which ones and how?"

The man was quick to answer, "We can no longer find the Captain, Lieutenant Commander Scott or Ensign Chekov sir. They just vanished from the scanner but Mr Hendorff and Mr Kai are still visible sir."

Spock turned to the communications station, "Lieutenant Uhura, contact Mr Hendorff."

His order was unnecessary as Nyota had already done it so he addressed the security officer, "Mr Hendorff, we have lost contact with three of your team including the Captain, please report."

The confusion was evident in the man's voice as he answered, "We had found the device that was giving off the signal, Mr Scott and Mr Chekov were examining it as we and the Captain kept watch. Mr Scott requested Captain Kirk's help and we continued to keep watch, shortly afterwards we thought something was wrong and turned to see that the three of them and the device had vanished without a sound and leaving no trace except for depressions in the grass where they'd been standing. Mr Kai is looking for any indication of where they might have gone but he hasn't been able to find anything so far."

Spock thought for a moment before giving orders, "Mr Hendorff, you and Mr Kai continue your search but remain close to the former location of the others. I will beam down with a second team shortly to assist you."

"Understood Commander."

Spock made his way to exit the bridge giving orders as he went, "Lieutenant Uhura, keep a constant connection with the remainder of the away team and perform regular check-ins. Lieutenant Sulu you are in command in my absence, keep giving constant scanning sweeps of the area to simultaneously check for any anomalies and to maintain a careful watch on the away teams."

There were affirmatives from both the lieutenants and Spock left the bridge.

* * *

Shortly afterwards Spock and his team were beamed down to the surface; the team consisted of Spock, McCoy, Doctor Adams who was a science officer, Ensign Harvard and Lieutenant Hadrian as engineers and several more security officers. Adams, Hadrian and Harvard instantly began to scan the area where the three had vanished from while the security team took defensive positions around the group. Spock received a more detailed report from Hendorff and Kai and then dispatched Adams and Hadrian to examine the nearby wreckage for any evidence of what happened leaving him and McCoy waiting for results, "What do you think happened?"

Spock looked at the doctor who had spoken, "There is not enough information at this moment to come to a viable conclusion Doctor McCoy, therefore it is illogical to make assumptions at this point."

"Dammit man, you must have some theory on how they just vanished."

"I have several plausible theories on the matter Doctor but I wish to gather more information before I go any further into any of them. We must be able to fit a theory to facts not facts to a theory."

Leonard opened his mouth to say something more but a shout from Harvard interrupted him, "Commander, I've found something!"

Spock was instantly next to the ensign and McCoy idly wondered how he could get somewhere so quickly without looking hurried before shooting of to join them. Harvard was in the middle of explaining what he'd found when he got there, "I did several scans of this area before I noticed it, it's so small its no wonder we kept missing it."

McCoy broke into Harvard's explanation, "What was so small that we kept missing it?"

Harvard quickly answered, "A beaming signature sir."

"What's a beaming signature?"

Spock was seemingly absorbed in what was on Harvard's tricorder so the ensign explained, "It's a sort of disturbance left behind for a short while when you beam someone or something to or from a place. When you beam a target you effectively dismantle its molecules and send them somewhere else, this disrupts the molecules around the target for a short while which causes a slight distortion in the area around where the target has been or arrived in and that is a beaming signature. Usually our tricorders or the ship scanner can pick this up but in this case the signature was so small it barely registered on the tricorder and there was no way the _Enterprise'_s scanners would have seen it."

Spock looked up from the tricorder, "You are indeed correct Mr Harvard, there is definite evidence that our crewmembers were beamed from this spot even though the signature is exceptionally weak, exemplary work Ensign."

"Thank you sir."

"Unfortunately this means that they could be anywhere on the planet or indeed beyond and as such we are unlikely to find anything to assist us within the immediate area. Doctor McCoy please inform the rest that we shall be returning to the ship, I shall request a beam-up presently."

* * *

Once back aboard the ship a meeting of the remainder of the Command Crew was held to try and decide what was to be done next. Hikaru gave a summary of what the constant scans had come up with, "So far we haven't seen anything out of the ordinary on the planet but we are studying each scan carefully to make sure there's nothing we've missed."

McCoy made a suggestion, "Is there some way to track where they went using that signature thing you found?"

Spock answered, "No Doctor McCoy, a beaming signature is merely a minor distortion left as a result of beaming, it soon vanishes and is limited to the surrounding area. Unlike a warp jump, beaming leaves no trail to follow that we know of or can detect. In order to find where they have been taken to we would need the device that beamed them."

"So what this means is that all we have is the knowledge they were beamed somewhere but we have no way of knowing or finding out where?"

Spock paused before answering, "Unfortunately yes Doctor."

There was a dejected silence from around the room and there was a small sniff from Nyota. Hikaru finally spoke, "So what do we do?"

There was another silence before Spock made to speak but he was interrupted, "Commander Spock, you are required on the bridge. We are being hailed by an unknown party."

The remaining Command Crew all shared a look before heading swiftly to the bridge.

* * *

_**PS-I know that it's more build-up but I should be getting to the main focus of the story soon. I checked and I found out what Scotty's rank is so that has now been changed.**_


	4. The First Player

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello all. Here is chapter four and we are about to learn a bit more about the situation and what has happened to Jim, Scotty and Pavel. I thank everyone who has been supporting this story and I hope you enjoy this, now on with the chapter.**_

_**I own nothing.**_

* * *

**The First Player**

They arrived at the bridge quickly and were soon at their stations while Spock stood calmly in front of the Command Chair with McCoy hovering to his side and slightly behind him. Everyone looked to the veiwscreen and the face of the unknown caller appeared.

It was a human man with an oddly familiar facial structure. His face showed definite age lines and grey peppering his dark hair, he had grey-blue eyes which appeared cold and calculating and he looked to be somewhere around his fifties. As the man appeared on the screen there was a flash of something in Spock's eyes which only McCoy saw before it was gone again.

"Commander Spock." The man had a hard voice with a twinge of a Russian accent to it.

Spock merely looked mildly interested as he replied, "You are familiar with my name yet I do not recall ever meeting you before."

The man snorted, "Please Commander, I know you're not stupid. Your face was plastered across the news with the rest of your crew for months after what happened in San Francisco, there are few in the Federation who don't know who you are after that."

"Then may I ask what you are contacting us for? I assume you have something to do with our missing crewmembers."

The man gave a dark smile, "And you would be right, I suppose you wish to know what I've done with them."

Though no-one answered there was an increase in the tension around the bridge which the man seemed to pick up on, "Well I guess it would be unfair to keep you in the dark about it."

He snapped his fingers and the image changed, it showed Jim, Scotty and Pavel kneeling on a hard metal floor with their hands tightly restrained behind their backs, straps wound around their torsos pinning their upper arms to their sides. They were also blindfolded and there was bruising which indicated that they had been struck brutally across the face. Nyota gasped with horror as her hands shot to her mouth and tears glistened in her eyes, Hikaru's face morphed into one of rage and he clenched his hands around his station, Leonard felt his stomach drop at the sight and found himself fighting to suppress the fear he felt for his family members, Spock tensed slightly and his eyes flashed with emotion before he regained control and relaxed his body giving the outward appearance of calm and control.

The image of their captured crew was replaced with the face of the mysterious man and Spock spoke sounding unmoved by what he'd seen, "Why have you taken members of our crew and what do you wish from us?"

The man grinned as if amused by the commander, "Nothing except that you contact Admiral Archer and inform him of what's happened. I'm sure that he'll be willing to listen to me when he hears about it."

"If you wished to speak with the Admiral why did you not contact him directly? Why would you kidnap our crewmembers and have us contact him for you?"

The man's smile widened, "Because what I want cannot be gained through the normal channels and I want you to inform him so that you know your position in this. The _Enterprise _and her crew are the pawns in this little game and I'm sure you can work out what'll happen if you should try anything I don't approve of. Inform Archer of what has happened here and tell him that Lientov Chekov will speak to him soon."

The connection cut leaving the bridge in silence.

* * *

_**PS-The enemy revealed and I will explain a bit more about him in the next chapter (though I'm certain many of you have already guessed who he is). Please review and let me know what you think.**_


	5. Promises

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Good day everyone. So in this chapter we learn more about Lientov and maybe get a glimpse of what he wants. This chapter sort of overlaps with the last two, its kind of what happened to Jim, Scotty and Pavel during those ones. Thank you for your continued support of this story and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

_**I don't own any aspect of Star Trek (though I have recently bought the first season of TOS on dvd).**_

* * *

**Promises**

There hadn't been time to react.

Jim had been helping Scotty and Pavel with the device when there was the familiar sensation of being beamed and they were somewhere else entirely. Jim didn't even get time to see where they were before he was struck hard across the face dazing him. He was set upon by several men and before he knew it his hands were strapped behind his back and he was blindfolded. Realising that resistance at that moment was stupid he yelled out, "Pavel, Scotty! Don't struggle it'll only make things worse!"

"A wise order Captain Kirk. It'll save you and your crew a lot of damage"

Jim tried to pinpoint the positioning of the speaker and turned his head in the direction he thought the voice was coming from, "Who are you and what do you want with us?"

"Straight to business Captain, don't you want to exchange pleasantries first?"

Jim was quick to answer, "You seem to know who I am already so there's no point introducing myself and I don't make a habit of wasting time talking nicely to someone who has kidnapped me and members of my crew."

"Ah yes your precious crew." The voice took a mocking tone, "You're very protective of them aren't you, even going as far as to give your life for them. Your trip into the warp core of your ship to save their lives was a most inspiring tale of self-sacrifice. Though it's the bit afterwards I'm more interested in, the bit where you were brought back to life."

"What are you talking about, I wasn't resurrected."

"Don't try and lie to me. I know that you died in that warp core and I know that Doctor McCoy created a serum from Khan's blood to bring you back, regardless of what Starfleet says happened."

"So now what, you going to experiment on me or something?"

"No, unfortunately it's been so long since the serum was injected in you there is nothing of it left in your body. It's been nearly a year since it was used on you so the chances of it lingering are exceptionally small so there is no point in studying you, you're merely human now."

"So are you going to answer my original question now?"

"Oh of course, who am I and what do I want. Well I think I'll wait a while before revealing my grand plan as it were, keeps things entertaining and I do like amusing myself. As to who I am however I'm sure you know of me even though we've never met, you've must have heard a lot about me from you're favourite navigator. I mean he recognised my voice the moment I spoke and has been shaking with fear ever since haven't you Pavel."

Recognition sparked in Jim's mind and he growled out one word, "Lientov."

Lientov's reply was almost jubilant, "That's the one, Pavel's dear old uncle. It's so nice to know that he mentioned me."

Jim made to leap at the origin of Lientov's voice but was tightly held back as the man tutted disapprovingly, "Now Captain that is no way to behave in front of the boy, even if he can't see you. Besides I've got a schedule to keep, we can't leave your crew in the dark too long now can we."

Jim suddenly found himself being pushed forward and he stumbled at the sudden movement, he heard a grunt of surprise from Scotty and there was a thudding sound and a yelp that sounded like Pavel. This was closely followed by Lientov's voice, "Careful now, you need to guide Pavel to his destination not make him face-plant on the floor. It'll waste time if we have to keep hauling him up."

* * *

The journey seemed to take ages as Jim was roughly hauled onwards to wherever they were going. He heard the sounds of computers as they travelled and that along with what sounded like a metal floor beneath them as well as the low thrumming of some kind of engine suggested they were in some kind of facility, it meant that they could be on anything from some kind of starbase to a planet based station or even a starship. They finally reached their destination and Jim found himself being forced to his knees, he heard the same thing happening to Pavel and Scotty and then Lientov spoke, "So I've got to pop off now and make a call, don't try anything because there are several gentlemen around you who will cause you a lot of pain if you don't behave. Oh and we're just adding an extra touch to you're restraints just to be safe."

Jim felt a strap being wound around his torso pinning his upper arms and then being tightened. He tried to wriggle his hands out of their restraints but quickly realised that it would be useless and stopped, there was a small voice from his right, "Keptain?"

Pavel's voice was quiet and full of fear and Jim softly answered, "What is it Pasha?"

"Vat ees going to happen to us?"

"I don't know but we'll get out of it, we always do and Spock will be doing everything he can to find us. It'll be ok."

"And dinnae forget Hikaru, that laddie will come here sword swinging and guns blazing tae rescue us and Ah'm certain that Nyota will no be far behind." Scotty added, "They'll be mocking us for being damsels in distress for months tae come after this."

"But my uncle, he ees the von in charge of zis. Vot ees he going to do to me?"

Jim leaned over in Pavel's direction, "Pasha, I'm going to do everything I can to protect you, I always do. Just be brave for me and I promise that when this is over I'll make sure he'll never be able to hurt you again, can you do that for me?"

"Da Papa. I lowe you."

"Love you to son."

* * *

_**PS-So there we have it and I had a lot of fun writing Lientov. To those who guessed he was Pavel's father you were close but not quite there. I've also corrected Scotty's rank in chapter 2; apparently he is a Lieutenant Commander so that has now been changed in that chapter.**_


	6. History

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello everyone. This is a longer chapter that tells you more of Pavel's history such as how he joined Starfleet and what happened to his parents. There's not much in the way of action I feel that this chapter is important for showing the background of what's going on. Thank you for your continued support of this story and I hope you enjoy.**_

_**I own nothing.**_

* * *

**History**

There was a shocked silence after Lientov's comm. had been cut.

Spock was the first to do anything, "Lieutenant Uhura, do we know where they were transmitting from?"

Nyota pulled herself together and quickly began to check and it wasn't long before she answered, "No sir, they've somehow concealed the point of origin of the communication."

"Understood Lieutenant, study it and try to identify anything that may tell us where they are. I also want a connection to Admiral Archer as soon as possible and it is to be patched through to the briefing room."

"Understood sir."

Spock turned to Hikaru, "Mr Sulu, investigate the information we have on the surrounding systems. Look for any information that might suggest a base or vessel in the area, also look up all planets nearby that we know of where Lientov may be holding the Captain and our crew. I shall wait in the briefing room for contact with the Admiral and as such you have command of the bridge."

"Aye sir."

"Doctor McCoy, I request that you join me."

Not waiting for an answer, Spock calmly exited the bridge with McCoy hurrying behind him.

* * *

They made their way to the briefing room in silence but as soon as they entered and the door closed behind them McCoy started questioning Spock, "What the hell is going on Spock!? I know you recognised that guy as soon as you saw him and with that surname I'm willing to bet he has some connection to Pavel."

Spock answered, "You would be correct about both myself recognising Lientov and that he is connected to Ensign Chekov. Unfortunately I have no more knowledge than you on why he would do this, he vanished years ago and was presumed dead but as you can see this is not the case."

Before McCoy could say anything in reply, a comm. came through from Nyota, "Commander, we've got through to Admiral Archer and I'm patching him through to the briefing room now."

Taking a seat facing the room's veiwscreen Spock answered, "Thank you Lieutenant."

Admiral Archer appeared on the screen looking grave, "Commander Spock, Lieutenant Uhura has informed me that something serious has happened. Please report."

Spock relayed what had happened quickly and precisely and Archer's expression grew graver, there was silence once the report was finished before the admiral spoke, "How much do you and Doctor McCoy know about Pavel's past?"

Spock answered first, "I have learned a great deal through my own research and discussions with the Captain after I unintentionally performed a mind-meld with Ensign Chekov and saw one of his memories."

McCoy quickly followed with his answer, "I don't know much, the kid never really spoke about his life before the academy and I never pushed since he seemed to share most things with Jim. I know he sometimes suffers from nightmares which I'm certain have something to do with his childhood but that's it."

Archer nodded before speaking again, "Then it will be best if I explain it to you Doctor, though Pavel has never told me as much as he told Jim I'm sure Spock can add some information that I don't know." He took a deep breath before continuing, "I suppose it really starts with Andrei and Lientov Chekov. Andrei was Pavel's father and a brilliant man, he did a lot of work for Starfleet and many of his ideas were added to our fleet including the many of the _Enterprise_'s systems. He did a lot of good work improving and enhancing our scanners, tricorders and computers. His brother Lientov on the other hand was just as brilliant but far more focused on his own schemes and gain. He wasn't as scientifically minded as Andrei but his brilliance lay in cutting deals and manipulating the work of others. He got involved in criminal activities very early on but there was nothing to tie him to anything illegal at the time so he was never arrested or charged. The two brothers fell out of touch with each other and Lientov was apparently quite happy to leave his brother be as long as he didn't interfere with his activities."

"This changed several years ago and I can't say it for certain but I think Pavel was the reason for this, he showed his genius at a very young age and I believe that Lientov heard about it. When Pavel was about five his father Andrei and his mother Anna suddenly died in a terrible accident, it was never proven but I think Lientov was responsible for that accident. With nothing against him, no-one questioned the decision to pass Pavel into his care and that is where the nightmares come from. I don't know the details of what actually happened but I know that Pavel was continuously abused by his uncle while in his care during the years afterwards. Lientov must have wanted to use Pavel's intellect because he was eager to allow the boy to move to higher levels and skip years during his schooling and he made sure that Pavel was top of his class."

Spock interjected with his own thought, "The abuse Ensign Chekov suffered must have been a means to cause him to obey Lientov only and not formulate his own views. His uncle had no care for his wellbeing; he only wished to make use of his scientific aptitude."

Archer nodded in agreement, "That is highly likely Spock though only Pavel and Lientov himself could confirm it." The admiral continued, "Things continued in this way until Pavel was about thirteen. Starfleet had taken notice of his incredible abilities and decided to see if we could recruit him. Obviously with him still a child at this point we took the offer to his uncle first, though Pavel's academic ability was well beyond others his age he would still be very much a child in other ways. Our original idea was to make the offer then but not actually force a decision until he was older but let it be known that should he wish to join Starfleet we would accept him without any issues. I was the one who contacted Lientov first and was surprised to find him very apposed to the idea but he eventually agreed to let me speak to Pavel in person. I spoke to his teachers to get a view on what he was like and that was when I first became suspicious. His teachers had noticed aspects in Pavel's behaviour that suggested abuse but there had not been enough evidence to instigate an investigation, when I spoke to Pavel in his school my suspicions were further increased. He was surprised when I spoke to him like he wasn't used to adults speaking to him kindly, he was also very nervous when I asked him about his uncle and, having had to spend years learning to recognise when someone is lying to me, his reply instantly set off warnings in my mind. Afterwards with me being like Jim in being willing to interfere when it felt right I started to look into Lientov's background. It took a lot of time and effort but I eventually found various bits of evidence connecting him to different criminal activities including some of great interest to Starfleet."

McCoy interrupted, "Like what?"

It was Spock who answered, "It seemed that Lientov had connections to Governor Kodos and some of his ideas were incorporated into Kodos' eugenics outline. There is also evidence that it was one of Lientov's connections who constructed the disease that destroyed the crops which resulted in the Tarsus IV tragedy."

McCoy looked horrified as Archer nodded sadly, "You're right Spock and my reaction was much the same as yours Doctor when I discovered this. This naturally resulted in a full investigation into all of Lientov's activities and Pavel was taken from his custody, unfortunately he vanished before he could be arrested and what little evidence was left suggested he was dead. With Lientov gone Pavel had no blood relatives left and no family friends took look after him, Starfleet offered to give him a place at the academy and agreed that they would act as his guardians in absence of anyone else if Pavel accepted. He did and so he moved to the academy and we added a few extra regulations to accommodate him, I was assigned as his acting guardian until Jim took on the role shortly after Nero and we never heard anything about Lientov until now."

A silence fell after the admiral had finished until McCoy eventually broke it, "Why has he shown himself now, what does he want that would involve all this?"

Archer answered, "I can make a few guesses but we won't know for certain until Lientov makes his demands. He is almost certainly going to demand some kind of ransom and it must be pretty big if he's revealing himself after pretending to be dead for roughly five years."

Spock put forward some of his own thoughts, "It is also highly likely that it was no accident that the _Enterprise _was the ship chosen for this mission."

McCoy looked at him, "You think Lientov has connections in Starfleet and planned to kidnap Pavel?"

"Actually Doctor I believe the capture of Ensign Chekov was purely coincidental but given that Lientov has been successfully hiding for the last few years from Starfleet he must have some contact within us. If this is the case then it is no great effort for him to ensure that it was the _Enterprise _which was sent to investigate the signal he put out."

"But if Pavel wasn't the reason, why the _Enterprise_?"

Archer answered McCoy, "If he was wanting something big then he would need a high profile hostage to ransom and the captain of Starfleet's flagship would be suitable. Its no secret that Jim likes to attend most missions personally and a mysterious signal would guarantee his beaming down to the planet."

Leonard asked another question, "So what do we do now?"

"There's not much we can do," the admiral answered, "we don't have much choice but to wait for Lientov to contact us unless we find some clue as to where he's keeping his captives."

Spock spoke, "What are your orders sir?"

"Continue to search for your crew Commander, if we can find them we may be able to organise a rescue attempt. Lientov will most likely contact you again soon, when he does inform him that I am coming to the _Enterprise _to conduct negotiations with him. It'll buy us some more time to try and save the others and it'll no doubt be just the thing Lientov wants to hear. He knows that I'm the one that unearthed the evidence against him which is why he demanded that you contact me, he's making it personal."

"Are you sure you do not wish to negotiate from Starfleet headquarters, there is a high probability that this could be a trap for you."

"Spock, Lientov didn't reveal himself just to get revenge on me, he wants something big that Starfleet has. Furthermore, though Jim was always closer to being Pavel's father I still hold some responsibility for him as well as Jim and Scotty. I want to deal with this personally."

"Of course sir."

"Thank you Mr Spock. I'll arrange transport out to the _Enterprise _for myself, until then the safety of Kirk, Scott and Chekov is your top priority, do not do anything that may put them in any more danger than they're already in. I'll let you know my ETA with the _Enterprise _shortly."

"Understood Admiral."

Archer gave them one final nod before cutting the comm..

* * *

_**PS-So there is Pavel's backstory as it stands in my canon. I hope it makes sense and there are no glaring inconsistencies and please let me know what you thought.**_


	7. Plan and Reveal

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello everyone and apologies for the long gap between updates. My only excuse is that I've been watching a lot of TOS instead of writing this fic but I've finally completed this chapter. Like the last chapter it contains a fair bit of information, I just hope I'm not boring you all with it. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.**_

_**I do not own Star Trek**_

* * *

**Plan and Reveal**

Only a short while after Lientov had left he had returned and had them hauled off to a set of small cells. Jim's hands and arms had been released and then he was flung into one of them, he had wrenched his blindfold off just in time to see a force field form over the doorway and glimpse Scotty and Pavel as they were dragged off further down the corridor. Scotty had been thrown into the cell next to him but Pavel had been taken elsewhere, thankfully Lientov had gone in the opposite direction to where Pavel had been taken but Jim was scared for him none the less. As soon as they were alone he began to try and speak to Scotty, he was glad to hear the Scotsman's reply and they set about trying to find a way out. Unfortunately there was no way, the force field was strong and there was no way him or Scotty could shut it down from within their cells. Anything they had on them had been taken except their clothes and Jim found himself wishing that he'd taken Hikaru up on his offer to stick a secret compartment in his boot for a knife, not much good against a force field but it would've been great to surprise attack the guards. With no immediate way of escape they waited and kept their eyes open for an opportunity.

Jim soon began to pace his cell with worry, he had no idea where Pavel was and they were at the mercy of the boy's twisted, abusive, bastard of an uncle. He was certain that Lientov was going to do everything he could to break Pavel and Jim didn't know if the boy or indeed he himself could stand up to that. Pavel would be scared under these circumstances normally but with his uncle in charge of this kidnapping he would now be absolutely terrified. Jim pacing grew more frantic, he had to find a way out and soon, preferably before Lientov started on Pavel and could potentially irreparably harm him.

Jim realised that he was letting himself get close to panic and he calmed himself down keeping his thoughts and emotions controlled in the way he was expected to do in a crisis. Firstly he and Scotty were imprisoned with no immediate sign of escape or release, this was their first problem and there was nothing they could do until it was sorted so he began to analyse the situation. Lientov must want something and Jim, Scotty and Pavel were the hostages for ransom. The signal was now obviously a trap set by Lientov to capture them and he was certain that Lientov had already contacted the _Enterprise _to show that he had them captured. It was also very likely that he hadn't made any demands as of yet, he would draw this stage out leaving the remaining crew in the dark for as long as possible. He would do this to try and make the crew worry about what he wanted and the state of their fellow crewmembers allowing their emotions to start to affect their judgement, though with Spock that was going to take awhile. This meant they had at least a couple of days of waiting and the chances were that Lientov wouldn't do anything too harmful to them for that time; he seemed to be a man who enjoyed the fear of his victims and knew that fear when waiting for harm was greater than fear while being harmed. Lientov also appeared to enjoy being dramatic, he'll probably come and boast about his plan to him at some point and he might be able to use Lientov's dramatic nature to his advantage.

* * *

Several hours later Lientov came to Jim's cell and the captain instantly went on his guard, he couldn't appear weak to his captor.

"Well Captain, I have some most interesting news for you. I've just been in contact with your ship again and found that they passed my message onto Archer for me." Lientov said smugly, "It seems that he is going to the _Enterprise _to negotiate with me personally. Did you realise how valuable you are to him?" The man continued, not allowing Jim to give an answer, "Well I suppose that you are the Federation's great heroes and he does have a personal connection to little Pavel."

Jim cut across, "Where is he Lientov?"

The man smiled as he answered, "Oh I've made special arrangements for Pavel but I may let you see him at some point. He's quite safe Captain, there is no point in killing him now despite our past."

Realising that he'd get nothing else about Pavel, Jim asked his next pressing question, "What do you want?"

He grinned, "Ah yes, what I want. That is just the reason why I came to see you, it is getting dull keeping you in the dark and there's no point in having a brilliant scheme if you don't get to explain to someone who isn't one of your minions. I think you'll understand it better than them Captain and its not like you have anything else to do."

Lientov summoned four guards over with a wave of his hand, two of them kept their weapons trained on Jim as the others lowered the force field and approached with the restraints they used before. Knowing it wasn't the right moment, Jim remained still as they bound him again and replaced the blindfold, they pushed him in the direction of the doorway and he heard Lientov speaking to him, "I know being bound and hauled around like this is most undignified Captain, but your reputation precedes you and only a fool wouldn't take certain precautions."

"So why are you taking me out of my cell?"

"Because this place is completely unsuitable for unveiling a master plan, it just doesn't have the right atmosphere."

"Seriously?"

"My dear Captain." Lientov sounded disappointed, "I thought you would understand the need for the right environment to produce the desired effect, it is all a part of the show. Besides, I cannot take my scheme any further until Archer arrives on the _Enterprise _and that may take a few days, I have to amuse myself somehow and it would be most impolite to keep you in your cell for all that time."

Jim was starting to wonder if Lientov was mad and he heard the man address what was most likely more guards, "Take him to my private office, bring Mr Scott and fetch the boy as well, they'll all want to hear this."

* * *

Jim was once again dragged through Lientov's and he soon found himself being shoved onto some sort of chair and strapped firmly to it. He heard noises that suggested a similar thing happening to Scotty and Pavel either side of him and then his blindfold was roughly pulled off allowing him to see Lientov's office.

It was a sight to behold.

The room was huge and circular with a viewscreen wrapped all the way around it and a glass domed ceiling providing an almost uninterrupted view of the vista around them which was what was truly incredible. It showed no view of the stars or a nearby planet or even some vast alien landscape, instead it showed a view of two immense binary stars either side of the station. Their light and heat must have been suppressed by powerful screens and shields for they were so close that the station between them should have been incinerated in an instant.

Lientov spoke from his position behind an almost laughably plain desk sat on a dark leather chair, "I think you'll agree that the view is most impressive."

Scotty gave a barely coherent response from where he was sat on Jim's right, "But…how? I mean the stars…how is this possible?"

Lientov gave a small laugh, "I quite understand your reaction Mr Scott, allow me to explain. You'll probably remember the Helios Device from your little fight with the Gorn, if so you'll also remember that it was powered by a prototype Vulcan ship which used advanced solar collectors to collect energy from the nearby binary stars. I managed to acquire a copy of the plans for those collectors after the ship was destroyed and incorporate a modified version into this station. These collectors both protect and power the station, a super strong hull and advanced deflector shields also assist in protecting it. This means that it is exceptionally difficult for anyone to detect us due to the intense heat and radiation, keeping us well hidden."

Scotty quickly shot out another question, "But how do ye supply this station? Many vessels cannae get close tae binary stars, never mind dock with a space station in-between two of them?"

"Your own trans-warp beaming equation Mr Scott. I have many contacts around the Federation so I simply get them to place my supplies on normal cargo vessels, as these ships pass by the system we use our advanced transporters, which can cope with the interference caused by the stars, to beam the supplies aboard. A hacking of the ship's logs erases my supplies from their cargo lists and no-one is any the wiser."

Scotty stared dumfounded at Lientov who simply smiled before speaking again, "As you can see I can get a great many things in this galaxy quite easily but there is something in particular that not even my contacts can get a hold of. It is buried so deep in the secrecy of Starfleet that not even my people within Section 31 could get it for me."

Jim suddenly cut across him, surprise evident in his voice, "Section 31! You had connections to Marcus' special unit!?"

Lientov got up and stood facing away from them, "Indeed Captain, I pride myself on having people everywhere keeping alert for opportunities or dangers in regards to my businesses. None of them know who they're reporting to and some don't even realise that they are passing on information but it keeps me informed on what is happening in the world. I never had any control over what Section 31 did but I did watch them closely as they were studying things of great interest to me. It was one thing in particular that attracted my full attention however and I've been forced to reveal myself to get it." Lientov began pacing in front of them, "Starfleet have hidden this thing well, only a few of the most senior admirals know where it is including Archer. It would've taken a high profile hostage to get him to even think about negotiating with me and there would be no-one better than the great Captain Kirk. So I created the mysterious signal, a few bits of meddling in the paperwork would ensure that the _Enterprise _would be the ship sent to investigate. The device you found on Zeta IV was connected to the transporter here, at the right moment we beamed both it and anyone within three feet of it aboard. It was specially designed to be undetectable and very quick so that anyone left would think you had vanished meaning that they would have no idea what happened to you."

Jim interrupted again, "You said you wanted me as a hostage but you couldn't have known for sure that I would have even beamed down to the planet, never mind be within three feet of your device?"

"You are indeed right Captain but it was highly likely that you would've wanted to see the device for yourself, we could see through the device who was within range so as soon as you were present we could activate it. I must admit that getting Pavel was an unexpected bonus."

"But what would warrant all of this, what is so valuable tae ye that ye would reveal that your no dead and use a complicated device tae kidnap a Starfleet captain and some of his crew?"

It was Scotty who had asked the question and the man stopped pacing and faced him, "Why Mr Scott, there is only one thing that Starfleet has that would warrant all of this."

Lientov smiled, "I want the plans of the _Vengeance _of course."

* * *

_**PS-So long chapter but I hoped you liked it. I know Pavel hasn't had much of a look in but don't worry I'm getting to the whole thing between him and Lientov you're all expecting. Hope to update soon and please review to let me know what you thought.**_


	8. Defiance

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello everyone and I'm sorry for the long wait, I have no excuse as it was more lazyness than anything else that delayed this chapter but I eventually got myself in gear and finished it. Just to let you know that when I use italics for what Pavel and Lientov say then they're speaking in Russian (hence why all of Pavel's words are said correctly) there is also a bit of whump in this chapter. Thank you for your continued support and I'm again sorry for the long gap.**_

_**I own nothing.**_

* * *

**Defiance**

Jim's mind was turning.

Shortly after Lientov had revealed his goal they had been taken back to their respective cells. He and Scotty had said very little to each other since then and Jim was pondering their captor's plan. It made it very clear that if they were to survive they had to escape themselves as there was no way Archer would or could give up the plans for the _Vengeance_, there was to much to lose if they fell into the wrong hands and Lientov's hands were definitely the wrong ones. Jim decided to focus on getting him and Scotty out of their cells and finding Pavel first, the rest could come later as the chances were that they'd have to wing it when they escaped anyway.

He sighed; this was going to take a bit more effort than normal.

* * *

Pavel paced his small cell anxiously.

It was small and dark with little in it to distract him; he was dreading the inevitable arrival of his uncle and what that would lead to. He could not believe that the man was still alive, sure it had been unclear what had happened to his uncle after the man's crimes were uncovered but he'd been sure that Lientov was gone for good.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of someone entering his cell and he turned to face the door to see the dreaded form of his uncle enter and the man spoke to his nephew in Russian, "_Well Pavel, what a coincidence it is for us to meet again in this way._"

Pavel summoned his courage to answer, "_I'm not scared of you anymore and you won't get away this time._"

Lientov smiled, "_I must say that you are considerably braver than you were when you were in my care but I think you still fear me Pavel. You were shaking with fear when you first heard my voice and I know all about your little talk with Kirk when I left the room. It appears that you've found an almost parental figure to look up to, I should point out that most boys your age don't cling to their father figure as much as you appear to do. Also I don't believe that many would have considered him to be a suitable role model or father._"

"_Captain Kirk is a good man and one of the best captains in Starfleet. He always puts his crew first and would do anything for his friends. He is loyal and brave and a more than suitable role model for anyone._"

Lientov simply snorted, "_Kirk is an idiot with a stupid amount of luck who shouldn't have lived beyond thirteen. It also seems that he has treated you wrongly; you actually now believe that you deserve to be treated as an equal. I'll have to correct that mindset of yours; you are only supposed to work for me and no-one else._"

Pavel stood a little taller in defiance, "_I'm not something that can be controlled by you, I get my own choices, my own life and I will not be turned into little more than your slave to work on your twisted ideas. I work for Starfleet by choice and they'll never hand over the Vengeance plans to you in exchange for us!_"

The older man cut across him, "_Starfleet will give me those plans, I have their most famous captain, one of their most brilliant engineers and their own boy genius who is still under their protection._" He stood menacingly in front of Pavel who took an involuntary step back as the man continued, "_It seems you have picked up far too much of Kirks insolence, I'll just have to remind you of your place._"

Knowing what was coming Pavel quickly began to back away from him but there was no way for him to get away as his uncle raised his hand. The first blow sent him staggering back and he had no time to regain his bearings before another followed it, and another, and another until he was on the floor curled in a ball whimpering quietly as Lientov continued to strike him. Eventually the man stopped but Pavel remained curled on the floor as his uncle spoke again, "_That was just a small reminder of my authority boy, you belong to me and you'd do well to remember that._"

He turned on his heel and left the cell and Pavel didn't move until he was certain he was gone, he uncurled painfully and took stock of his injuries. Though it felt like agony it appeared that nothing was broken and other than serious bruising he was fine. He slowly made his way over to one of the walls and sat with his back against it, pulling his knees up to his chest he hugged them letting out a few small cries of pain at the movement. He let determination fill him; the same determination that powered him through four years at the academy and prove to everyone that he belonged in Starfleet. He wasn't going to let Lientov win, he was his own person and he wouldn't relent to that man anymore. He'd faced much worse before and he was not going to let himself be broken.

Lientov did not own him and never would again.

* * *

_**PS-So shorter than the previous two chapters but I hoped it was enjoyable anyway. Please review and let me know what you think as it'll really help me to write this. **_


	9. The Admiral Comes

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello everybody. I know I said I'd try and update quicker but again I took ages and again I really have no decent excuse. Thank you for your support and reviews and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

_**I don't own Star Trek.**_

* * *

**The Admiral Comes**

It had been a long few days on the _Enterprise _as they waited for Admiral Archer to arrive.

They had found no trace of their missing friends and Lientov had not been in contact since they told him Archer was coming. They had continued to scan but Spock was certain that they were now without a doubt beyond the solar system containing Zeta IV, with no leads on where they could be and no way to narrow down their possible location at this moment there was no choice but to wait where they were for the Admiral and a communication from Lientov.

Despite this they had been far from idle; Nyota and several other communication officers had been studying the copies of Lientov's comm. signals and were now confident that they could get his rough location when he contacted him again, Hikaru had been in constant meetings with other crewmembers trained in navigation and helming locating possible planets and planetoids where Lientov could be as well as looking for any anomalies that could suggest a previously unknown spacecraft or station, several of Scotty and Spock's science officers and engineers had been studying the little information they had on the device that transported the captured three in the hope that they could work out where it sent them or where it was made. Though he was keeping a close eye on the progress of the crew, Spock would often vanish for long periods of time and what he was doing was unknown to the rest of them. Eventually McCoy made the decision to find out what he was up to and went to find him during one of these periods.

* * *

Spock was studying something on a PADD when McCoy entered one of the briefing rooms; it wasn't long before the doctor spoke, "What are you looking at on that thing?"

Spock placed the PADD on the table before answering, "Every piece of information Starfleet has on Lientov Chekov, it has proven most interesting. It seems that Lientov started his criminal career very early on and showed signs of criminality even as a child." McCoy picked up the PADD and began reading as Spock continued, "Much of the information was only discovered due to Admiral Archer's investigations, Lientov has been connected to many thefts, heists, murders and embezzlements as well as Tarsus IV, a mining disaster on Delta Beta and even various other crimes thought to have been committed by the Orion Syndicate."

"He's been connected to all of that?"

"Indeed Doctor and this is only the information we have from when before he disappeared, it is highly likely that he has been responsible for a lot more in the time he was considered dead."

McCoy shook his head disbelievingly, "It sounds like he is behind most of the crime in the Federation."

"As improbable as it would normally sound I am inclined to agree with your statement Doctor. Lientov Chekov is undeniably a master of his chosen craft and a criminal genius."

"It almost sounds like you admire him Spock."

"I am merely stating a fact Doctor, there is no logic in denying what he is regardless of his character."

Leonard sighed and then looked back at the PADD, "So why are you studying his history?"

"I am trying to understand his thought processes so that I may predict his actions better but so far I have been unable to understand his most recent actions, they contrast his previous ones greatly."

"How do you mean?"

"All of his previous operations have been well-thought out, careful, precise and expertly calculated but this one is almost irrational and leaves a great deal to chance. He had no guarantee that the Captain would beam down to the planet and into his trap yet he has undoubtedly built this plan on the Captain's significance as not only a Starfleet captain but as a well know person throughout the Federation, a very risky gamble as a competent engineer would have uncovered his trap as he delayed the beaming to capture the Captain. Furthermore he has revealed himself to not only Admiral Archer but to the entire crew of the _Enterprise _as well meaning that he'll have to find a way to conceal himself again once this is over as we can all recognise him and inform others."

"What are you getting at Spock?"

"I believe that, for whatever reason, Lientov is no longer thinking as rationally as he has before."

McCoy had sat down while Spock had been speaking and he now leaned forward across the table, "You think he might be slightly insane?"

"It is possible Doctor but if he is indeed no longer in his correct mind then that leaves us with the question of whether that makes him easier to deal with or more dangerous."

There was silence as they pondered this question before it was broken by Nyota's voice through the comm., "Commander Spock, Admiral Archer is about to beam aboard from the _USS Excelsior_."

"Understood Lieutenant, myself and Doctor McCoy will meet him in the transporter room."

* * *

They were standing in the transporter room ready when Archer materialised on the pad. The admiral wasted no time, "Commander Spock, what is the current status of the situation?"

Spock was swift to reply as they began to head in the direction of the bridge, "Since his second communication Lientov Chekov has not contacted us. Communications under the command of Lieutenant Uhura have been studying the two communication recordings we have in an attempt to locate their origin point, though we have no definite location they are certain that they can get a rough location when he contacts us again. Lieutenant Sulu and Navigation have also been studying our collected data on nearby star systems to also assist in this task and Engineering and Science have been studying the few scans we have of the beaming device in an attempt to again locate Lientov."

Archer gave an approving nod, "Very good Mr Spock, maybe they'll be able to locate him so we can attempt a rescue."

They eventually reached the bridge and almost as soon as they arrived Nyota called out from her station, "Admiral I have an unknown communication coming in, it is most likely Lientov."

Archer was quick to answer, "Understood Lieutenant, put it on screen and do what you must to locate its point of origin."

"Yes Sir."

Lientov's face appeared on the veiwscreen and he broke into a huge smile, "Admiral Archer, it's so very nice to see you again. I don't believe we've spoken since you revealed all my little operations to the galaxy."

Archer spoke bluntly, "You wanted to negotiate with me about the safe return of Captain Kirk, Lieutenant Commander Scott and Ensign Chekov."

Lientov looked disapproving, "Admiral you are exceptionally swift to get to the point when we have so much to catch up on."

"I have no wish to bandy words with a criminal when he is holding Starfleet officers hostage. Stop wasting time and tell me what you want in exchange for your three hostages."

The other man gave a dramatic sigh and spoke resignedly, "I suppose that I should tell you what I want seeing as you're all dying to know but…" he straightened, "I don't have three hostages Admiral."

Archer quickly hid his surprise, "What do you mean?"

Lientov's smile returned, "I mean that I will only be exchanging Kirk and Scott."

The admiral was careful to keep his voice neutral, "What have you done with Ensign Chekov?"

The smile turned into a smirk, "Nothing much Archer but seeing as he was in my care before your meddling I have decided to keep him with me. As such Pavel will not be a part of our negotiations and will not be returning to Starfleet. In short Archer…" here Lientov leaned forward with his expression hard, "Pavel Chekov is now mine!"

* * *

_**PS-So there we go and there is yet another plot twist. We should be back with the captured trio next chapter so keep an eye out and please review.**_


	10. Plans Loosen

_**Author's Note:**_

_**I'm back everyone. So here is chapter 10 and I apologise for the long wait, things start to get moving in this chapter so it won't be long until the action kicks off. Just a reminder that anything in italics said by Lientov or Pavel is in Russian.**_

_**I do not own Star Trek.**_

* * *

**Plans Loosen**

After Lientov had announced his refusal to ransom Pavel back a shocked silence covered the bridge of the _Enterprise_. Admiral Archer was the first to recover, "What do you mean that Pavel Chekov is yours?"

Lientov's hard expression remained, "I mean that he is my property and that he will do what I order him to." He leaned back away from the screen, "Pavel has one of the most brilliant minds I've encountered in a child and I would be a fool to give that up. He will obey me and his potential for my use is exceptional so do not try to negotiate him back Archer, you will either get Kirk and Scott or none of them and that is your only choice."

Seeing that there would be no way to get Lientov to back down the admiral spoke again, "So what do you want for Captain Kirk and Mr Scott?"

The other man smiled, "Well Admiral there is only one thing I want in exchange for those two and that is the plans that Starfleet has for the _Vengeance_."

"The _Vengeance_!? But how can you be sure we even have those?"

"I'm not an idiot Archer! Marcus would have kept copies of those plans and I know that Starfleet did a thorough investigation of Section 31 so there is no doubt that you have those plans. I'll give you time to think on my offer Admiral but I will not be making another one."

With that Lientov cut the connection leaving a stunned silence. Spock was instantly at the communication station, "Lieutenant Uhura, did you find where the communication was coming from?"

Nyota hesitated before answering, "We managed to pinpoint the signals origin but it seems impossible." She turned to face Spock distress showing plainly in her expression, "It's coming from the middle of a nearby binary star system. There's no way we can do anything to rescue them."

* * *

The last few days for Pavel had been painful.

At least once a day Lientov would come to his cell and demand his obedience and would then proceed to beat him whenever he said no or answered back. He was kept going by the thought that although his uncle had come and told him that he was not going to ransom him there was no way any of the Command Crew would be willing to leave him behind, furthermore they had beaten seemingly impossible situations before so there was no reason for them not to do it again and it was this faith that kept his spirits up.

He was physically battered and bruised everywhere and occasionally Lientov would actually break a bone or two when beating him, each time this happened the necessary equipment was brought in to fix it though the bruises were left. He shuffled painfully to try and find a more comfortable position to sit on the floor and let out a small cry. He stopped moving and waited for Lientov to make his usual visit and he was as determined as ever to not give in no matter what.

* * *

Down in the other cells on the station Jim was getting frustrated.

He hadn't seen anyone for days except the guards who supplied what they needed for food, hygiene and even to shave without the use of a razor. Unfortunately there had been no opportunity of escape so far and he had hit a dead end in trying to come up with a way. He was certain that there was one and he would not give up until he found it and there was no way he was leaving Pavel or Scotty behind when he found it.

In the next cell Scotty had also been determinedly thinking of an escape route, he'd been studying the force field in the doorway and was confident that he'd found an access point to the its systems in the wall of the cell. The problem was that he had no tools to prise the correct section of the wall off and he couldn't do it with his bare hands, all he needed was a small piece of metal that he could insert through the tiny gap to trip the mechanism holding the panel to the wall. He sighed knowing that he didn't have anything that could do it. He brought his hand down from where it had been rubbing the back of his neck and it brushed against the Starfleet badge on his shirt and he suddenly froze as he was struck by an epiphany, his badge! It may not be the best tool but it could work! Why hadn't he thought of it before, scratch that, why hadn't either him or Jim thought of it before.

He yanked his red shirt off and ripped the badge off it excitedly; with it now in hand he hurried over to the panel and began to work one of the badge's thin points through the small gap. It took time but eventually he tripped the mechanism and the panel came away from the wall, he gently placed it to the side and studied the various electrics and mechanics before him. He soon located the ones he wanted and, throwing caution and safety to the wind, he ripped all the wires out. He was rewarded by the sight of the force field flickering then dying and Scotty punched the air in delight.

Jim was very surprised when the force field over the doorway of his cell suddenly vanished and he was met with the sight of a grinning Scotty wearing a tattered red shirt. He got over his surprise and snapped into action, "Scotty, we're going to need weapons."

"Ah know Jim but ah think we should get out of here before they notice we're gone."

"Good plan but we are not leaving this station without Pavel."

"Ah wouldn't dream of it, lets go get weapons and rescue the laddie."

Wasting no more time they quickly snuck off down the corridor.

* * *

Lientov arrived in Pavel's cell looking pleased with himself. "_Well Pavel I've just finished speaking to Archer and I believe that this little operation will soon be finished. So soon your two friends will either be traded or dead, as such I'm hoping that you've started to think twice about defying me._"

Pavel stood up and faced his uncle answering boldly, "_I will not obey you no matter what you do and you do not and will never control me._"

Lientov scowled, "_How many times do I have to punish you before you realise that what you are doing is foolish. You will obey me!_"

Pavel took a step towards him, "_Never!_"

His uncle strode towards him raising his fist to strike when one of the guards called frantically from the doorway, "Sir, Kirk and Scott have escaped!"

Lientov stopped dead for a moment before spinning to face the man, "Get all available personel looking for them, I want them re-captured alive!"

The man nodded and ran off as Lientov snapped at two other guards, "You two! Bind the boy and bring him, Kirk and Scott are certainly going to try and rescue him so we can use him to re-capture them."

Pavel quickly found himself bound and being hurriedly dragged after his uncle, despite his current position he found himself grinning. If his Papa and Uncle Scotty had escaped then all of Lientov's plans were about to collapse rapidly.

* * *

_**PS-Jim and Scotty have escaped so expect them to cause a lot of trouble next chapter. Please let me know what you thought and I hope I'll update soon.**_


	11. Sabotage and a Frightening Change

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Hello everyone. Well here is chapter 11 and things really start to get going now. You may have noticed that I've altered the summary for this fic, I've done this since I now feel that the original summary doesn't really fit it anymore. It may not make much difference but it I'd thought I'd mention it in case someone was wondering. Thank you for all your reviews, they have been exceptionally helpful and I hope you like the chapter.**_

_**I do not own Star Trek.**_

* * *

**Sabotage and a Frightening Change**

Jim and Scotty were making their way swiftly through the station.

Initially they were trying to get to Pavel but it soon became clear that Lientov now knew that they had escaped and they both realised that he would make sure that the boy would be very well guarded. As such they decided on a different approach, Jim would head after Lientov and act as a distraction while Scotty made his way to what could be considered to be the station's engineering section.

They had separated after they had acquired what appeared to be a couple of altered Starfleet phasers from two particularly thick henchmen and Scotty was trying to reach his destination as quickly as possible. It was taking longer than he'd hoped but he had no idea how the place was laid out until he'd found an access terminal after a lot of searching, now however he knew exactly where he needed to go so he made his way there as quickly and stealthily as possible.

* * *

Jim was being the opposite of stealthy and he was making considerably quicker progress. He had guessed that Lientov would have retreated with Pavel to his personal office so he knew which way he had to go, since they couldn't see any part of the station from the office when they were in there it had to be at the top of the station so all he had to do was head up. His task was to make as big a scene as possible and attract the attention of Lientov and his men, so far it was working perfectly but it meant that he was continuously being pursued but at least they weren't trying to kill him yet.

He rounded a corner and saw two of Lientov's men heading towards him, he managed to stun them both before they could stun him and he carried on to his destination jumping their unconscious bodies as he went. He pressed on hoping that Scotty would complete his part of their plan soon.

* * *

On the _Enterprise _there was a very subdued atmosphere.

After Lientov had cut his comm., Archer and the remainder of the Command Crew had held a meeting along with Lieutenant Hadrian and Lieutenant Bailey, who were acting heads of Engineering and Navigation respectively, and Hendorff. It had been decided that they would head for the binary star system where Lientov appeared to be, they soon reached it and kept a suitable distance away from the stars but there was little they could do even then.

Most of the science and engineering personnel were working under Spock to find a way to reach whatever Lientov had between the two stars but were coming up with nothing, Hikaru and Nyota were at their posts on the bridge while Archer and McCoy had remained in the briefing room.

A dejected silence hung between the two men which Leonard eventually broke, "Admiral, do you think there is anyway to get to whatever Lientov has between those two stars and rescue Jim, Scotty and Pavel?"

Archer looked up at him, "Our scanners can't pierce through the radiation to find anything and the conditions are too extreme for us to send in a shuttle or even a probe. The _Enterprise _herself can't get too close and we can't beam anyone there if we don't have somewhere safe to send them to, we couldn't beam them through all that interference anyway." He sighed and looked at the veiwscreen which showed the two stars, "Unless something drastic changes the only way to get any of them back safely is to agree to Lientov's demands."

Silence again hung between them as they gazed at the image of the two stars as if they held all the answers.

* * *

Scotty had reached the station's engineering section and found that it dwarfed the one on the _Enterprise_; it also all seemed to be mostly automated which meant that hardly anyone was about allowing Scotty free reign to do as he pleased. He was concerned at first as it was exceptionally dangerous to leave such an important area unguarded, especially when there were two escaped prisoners on the loose, and he was expecting some sort of trap. After careful observation it seemed that the area was indeed clear and he quickly got to work.

The area was so vast it took a while to find the systems for the station's solar collectors and it then took even longer to get a rough idea of how the system functioned. Knowing that he had to be careful he began to work, if he got it right it should weaken the collectors enough to allow a small bit of the heat and radiation from the stars to damage the station. As soon as he was done he made sure that his sabotage couldn't be fixed easily and swiftly moved on to find some sort of communication panel as the warning alarms began.

* * *

Pavel had been taken straight to Lientov's office and his arms and hands were still tightly bound, he was currently being held by one of his uncle's men while Lientov himself paced frantically. Pavel watched him worriedly, he'd never seen his uncle like this when he was a child and he was finding it unnerving. His uncle seemed unhinged and as time went by it seemed to be getting worse which was very worrying.

A comm. came through Lientov's desk, "Sir!"

The man almost lunged towards it and frantically responded, "Have you re-captured them?"

"No sir but something has happened to the solar collectors. They've weakened drastically and the station will soon be damaged by the stars!"

As if on cue the room suddenly shook violently and Pavel would've fallen to the floor if his uncle's henchman didn't have such a firm hold of him. Lientov had supported himself with his desk and he snapped at the comm. on it, "Then get us away from these stars immediately. The collectors weaken anymore and we'll be incinerated."

He didn't wait for a reply before cutting the connection and he stared down at the desk muttering, "This is Kirk's doing but I'll show him, I'll show them all. No-one keeps anything from me not Kirk, not Archer, not the _Enterprise _and certainly not Starfleet. I will have those plans and anyone in my way will be crushed! They think they can stop me but they will fail, it's the only possible outcome since I never lose!"

His mutters had become a rant and he didn't even stop when another comm. came through, "Sir! Kirk is heading towards you and he is armed, we can't stop him sir!"

Lientov suddenly went silent and stood staring out at the two stars which appeared to be moving away as the station fled their close proximity. The man holding Pavel spoke, "Sir, Kirk is coming here. What are your orders?"

Pavel's uncle continued to stare at the stars in silence and the man made to speak again when Lientov finally answered, "I have no orders for you."

Before his henchman could reply Lientov turned and shot him.

Pavel felt the man's grip on him release and dimly heard the thud of his body hitting the floor behind him but all he could do was stare at his uncle who was pointing a phaser directly at him. Lientov slowly came towards him still levelling the phaser directly at him, as he moved he spoke to Pavel his voice low and menacing, "You are coming with me boy and do not even think about trying anything." He turned a small dial on the side of his weapon, "If you do you will greatly regret it. I have increased this weapons power, you try anything and I will obliterate one of your legs with it." He reached Pavel and grabbed him by the back of his neck, "Now WALK!"

Pavel was harshly shoved forward and it was only Lientov's painfully tight grip on the back of his neck that stopped him from tumbling forwards. He quickly got his legs moving as he realised that his situation was now much worse. He didn't know what had suddenly changed but his uncle's actions, the way he was speaking and the look he'd seen in his eyes all pointed to one very frightening truth.

Lientov was now definitely insane.

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_**PS-So there we go and I feel I should say that I initially wasn't planning on making Lientov go completely barmy, it just sort of happened. Please let me know what you thought.**_


	12. The Price of Darkness

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Greetings and Salutations good people. Here is Chapter 12 and it has a fair bit of action in it and remember that anything Lientov and Pavel say which is in italics is spoken in Russian. Thank you for all your support and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**_

_**I own nothing.**_

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**The Price of Darkness**

"Admiral, we're picking something up on our sensors! There is some sort of ship coming out from between the stars."

Archer moved like lightning and quickly responded, "Understood Mr Sulu. I'm on my way up now."

He was out of the briefing room before McCoy could react and the doctor rushed to catch up with the admiral's rapid walk. They quickly reached the bridge and Hikaru was swift to report, "It started to show up as it pulled away from the stars, it's now within visual range and still moving."

Archer gave him a nod, "Onscreen Lieutenant."

The helmsman did as he was ordered and then looked at the screen along with the rest of the bridge. At first all they could see were the two stars but then they noticed the artificial object moving towards them and as it got closer its shape became clearer. It was largely composed of a massive sphere but it had two cylindrical protrusions from what seemed to be the top and bottom. There was very little in the way of lights across its surface making it appear dark and ominous against the brightness of the two stars and if it wasn't for the speed it was moving you could almost believe that it was dead in space.

Spock had already begun to study the scans they were taking of the vessel and was reporting his findings, "It appears to be a large space station and has no warp engines that are detectable. It is currently moving on impulse power and it is likely that it cannot maintain its current speed for very long. Its hull is made of an unidentified alloy which has great similarities to the kind used for vessels which are used for extremely hostile environments."

"Do we know why it has left the proximity of the stars?"

Archer had spoken and Spock turned from his station to answer, "Scans indicate that the station has modified versions of the solar collectors that were used to power the Helios Device when it was in operation. These collectors appear to be damaged which means that they can no longer protect the station properly as such it is logical to assume that the station had to leave its close proximity of the binary star system to prevent its destruction."

"Is it possible to beam anyone aboard since its shields are weakened?"

"Though the shields are indeed weakened they still produce too much interference for effective beaming. The only way would be to get a manual lock on one of our crew already aboard the station."

Just as soon as Spock had finished speaking Uhura called from her station, "Admiral, we have a communication coming from the station! It's Mr Scott sir."

"Patch me through Lieutenant."

The very familiar accented voice of Scotty came through the comm. and Archer quickly cut across him, "Lieutenant Commander Scott, this Admiral Archer aboard the _USS Enterprise_. Give me the status of you and the others."

"Ah'm currently at a comm. desk in the Engineering section of Lientov's station and uninjured. When Ah last saw Captain Kirk he was on his way tae the top of the station tae find Lientov. Ensign Chekov was kept separate from us but unless the Captain has already found him then he'll most likely still be with Lientov as his prisoner."

"Understood Mr Scott, keep this channel open."

"Aye sir."

The admiral turned to face Spock, "I'm assuming we now have a lock on his position."

"You are correct Admiral, we can beam a team to the station now that Mr Scott's communication has allowed us to lock in on him. With your permission I request that I may lead a rescue team to the station immediately."

"Request granted Commander; get them back safe as soon as possible."

"Understood Sir."

* * *

As soon as Jim recovered himself from the sudden shake of the station indicating Scotty's success he began to move even quicker. The corridors passed in a blur as he continued to push upwards. His pace was such that any of Lientov's men in his way could not react quickly enough to stop him; he took turn after turn without hesitation as he trusted his instincts which seemed to be telling him exactly which way to go. It wasn't long before he found himself sprinting up a spiral staircase and bursting into Lientov's office.

It was empty.

All that was left was a body of a man with a phaser blast mark on his forehead and Jim didn't bother to check for life signs, since the man would have been killed in an instant, and looked instead for any indication of where Lientov went. He was certain that it was his former captor who had killed the man and if he was now killing his own men then the chances were that he was going to try and make his escape taking Pavel with him. Though there was no proof that Pavel was even with Lientov, Jim could feel it in his gut and his instincts had yet to be wrong so he about turned and shot back down the stairs to begin his relentless hunt again.

* * *

Lientov dragged Pavel through the station.

They had been going at a fast pace and Pavel had no idea where they were going. It was soon revealed as they arrived at what appeared to be some sort of control room but it looked like it had been hastily vacated and one look at the veiwscreen revealed why. It showed the _Enterprise _and Pavel's heart soared at the sight of her, he guessed that with the station damaged and away from the protection of the stars Lientov's men had realised that they were in big trouble and were trying to escape arrest. As such they were evacuating the station, a quick look at some other screens showing the departure of several shuttles confirmed it. Lientov shoved him roughly into one of the seats and began to rapidly program something into one of the consoles muttering as he did so, "_I'll show those cowards that no-one bails out on me._"

He slammed his hand down on one final button and Pavel watched in horror as sections of the hanger on the screens began to explode taking the shuttles and all the people with it. The explosions rocked the station and the lurching flung Pavel out of the chair causing him to land painfully on the floor. He struggled to get up without the use of his arms and eventually managed to get himself in a sitting position, Lientov was once again tapping away madly at the controls and Pavel took stock of where he was now positioned. He realised that he was next to some sort of communication console and an idea suddenly jumped into his mind. Shifting as quietly as he could he manoeuvred himself so he had his back to the console, he then managed to get his legs underneath himself and levered himself into a standing position. His uncle was still focused on what he was doing so Pavel began to fiddle with the console behind him as well as he could with his bound hands, he had just finished pushing the right buttons when Lientov turned and saw him.

"_What are you doing!?_"

He strode rapidly towards Pavel and he tried to quickly think of an excuse but found that he couldn't come up with anything. His uncle came closer with pure rage on his face and Pavel began to shake with fear at what was about to happen.

Then Jim Kirk burst into the room.

* * *

Pounding through the station Jim was suddenly sent sprawling as the station was rocked a second time. He quickly got up again and resumed his mad dash somehow putting on more speed. There were more tremors and Jim struggled to keep his balance as he charged onwards, he saw a set of doors ahead and he knew without a doubt that Pavel and Lientov were beyond them so he sprinted at them and heedlessly burst into the room.

Right afterwards he realised that his approach wasn't the best but he knew it was too late now to change it. Lientov was startled for only a moment but before Jim could take advantage he recovered and swiftly grabbed Pavel, clapped a hand over the teen's mouth and held a phaser against his side. The boy tried to struggle but Jim gave him a sharp command, "Pavel Stop!"

He instantly relaxed and stilled and there was silence as Jim and Lientov gauged each other. Jim spoke first his voice steady and threatening, "Give up Lientov, your plan as failed and your base is no longer hidden. Let Pavel go and surrender yourself."

The man snarled, "No! I will never surrender and this is not finished. Even if I only escape from here with the boy then I will have been successful."

At that moment a familiar noise was heard and Jim and Lientov suddenly saw three figures materialise in the room. Their bodies fully formed to reveal Spock, Hendorff and a security officer and they were all armed with phaser rifles. Jim smirked at Lientov, "I don't think you're escaping anywhere."

* * *

Pavel's spirits soared as he watched Spock and the others appear even as he felt Lientov press the phaser barrel harder into his side. Spock silently took in the situation until Jim spoke to him while never taking his eyes of Lientov, "You took your time Spock."

Spock replied mildly as if he hadn't just beamed into the middle of a volatile hostage situation, "I apologise Captain. Finding your location was a difficult and time consuming process. We would have taken longer had we not received the coordinates to beam to this room which I believe were sent to us by Ensign Chekov."

Pavel felt a small jump of triumph at Spock's words, pleased that his awkwardly sent coordinates were correct and useful. His elation was short lived as Lientov suddenly moved away from them dragging Pavel with him; Pavel let out a small cry at the sudden movement which was muffled by his uncle's hand still clamped over his mouth. Lientov shouted manically, "You're not stopping me, none of you! This boy is coming with me, he's mine!"

He got no further as at that moment a sudden blow from behind sent Lientov flying, Pavel was also sent tumbling forwards but he was prevented from crashing to the floor by someone's arm. He turned his head to see who it was that was now supporting him and was met by the face of Hikaru. He gave him a quick grin before starting to release the straps binding him, as the last of his bindings fell off everyone staggered as the station shook violently. Lientov, who had been lying prone on the floor, suddenly sprang up and sprinted away out of the room before anyone could stop him. Jim made to go after him but was stopped by Spock, "Captain, this station's propulsion and shields must have been severely damaged. It is highly likely that it is now being dragged towards the stars so its destruction is inevitable, we must leave now!"

The station lurched again and Jim quickly replied, "Understood Spock, tell the _Enterprise _to get us the hell out of here."

The station continued to jerk and shake as Spock spoke swiftly into his communicator, "Spock to _Enterprise_, beam us up now!"

Light swirled around their bodies and moments later they found themselves back in the transporter room of the _Enterprise _being greeted by the relived face of Scotty.

* * *

Lientov ran through the dying station grinning madly.

He was going to escape from the station and have his revenge. He had it all sorted, he would use his transporters to sneak aboard the _Enterprise_. He'd then find a way to rig the ship to explode, then he would secretly take Pavel and escape in one of their own shuttles. Moments later the rigged explosion would wipe out Kirk, Archer and the whole ship along with its crew before they knew what was happening leaving no-one to pursue him. He could then use his connections in somewhere like the Romulan Star Empire or the Orion Syndicate to escape the Federation allowing him to work on the plans he had for the boy unhindered.

He chuckled to himself as he tried to override the lock on the transporter room door completely ignoring the warning messages he was being given by the computer. He finally opened the door and then discovered his mistake.

The entire room was gone and all the door was now was an opening straight into space. Time seemed to slow as he saw a starship seemingly framed by the doorway with the writing on the top of her disc clearly visible.

_U.S.S. ENTERPRISE, NCC-1701_

It was the last thing he saw as he was pulled into the merciless vacuum of space with his great station built through crime, deceit and evil being pulled to pieces behind him and then dragged into the roaring inferno of the stars to be utterly destroyed forever.

Lientov was most definitely no more.

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_**PS-So there you go and I did just kill Lientov off, it's kind of a shame as I quite enjoyed writing him. So there will probably only be one more chapter after this one dealing with the aftermath so keep an eye out for it and please let me know what you thought of this chapter. **_


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